Bigtex1

Spending four (4) nights in the Hilton at the Dulles airport. Would anyone share their comments on this property with me? Want to go in with my eyes open, especially since I am going in early afternoon on Sunday.

Do they offer upgrades to Gold HHonors members? If yes, is it to a "better" room or to a "suite". Do they have a Towers? Will they really deliver USA Today to your room door (Mclean/Tysons Corners did NOT on my last stay there on 5-Jan-01).

Thanks in advance for your help - most appreciated.

dAAvid -

ChiMiler

Hi dAAvid-I have stayed there several times as a Gold-there is an exec level but i've never been upgraded there and i'm not sure that they have a clubroom.I have gotten huge rooms though-20x25 or so and while they have not been redone,they are in good shape.There is also a good health club attached to the hotel.I hope this helps you out.

Jim

Bigtex1

ChiMiler -

Thanks for the input. At least now I know it is not a dump.

dAAvid

TrojanHorse

I stay there on most of my short term (2 nights or less) stays to the IAD area. It is an Ok, I'd call it mid level hotel, I haven't b een upgraded to the exec level either, the health club is great for a hotel, the sports bar is pretty good for food and crowd, but the outdoor parking is for the birds, you know the weather there this time of year. If i was staying four nights, I would head for the Marriott Suites on the other side of the airport in Herndon

Bigtex1

TrojanHorse -

Thanks for the info. I understand your reasoning about the Marriott Suites, but I am concentrating on making Diamond with Hilton for this year. PS - the Homewood Suites in Herndon was sold out as that was my first choice.

Anyway - again Thanks for the input.

dAAvid -

TrojanHorse

No problem and thanks for the Homewood reminder, I totally forgot about that one, Its one of those out of sight out of mind locations.. but I do have to remember that one, Are you trying to get Diamond on stays or nights?

Scion

The outdoor parking at the Dulles Hilton does suck ... but there is also free underground parking that most people seem to ignore ... the elevator from the garage runs you straight up to the guest floors.

Bigtex1

TrojanHorse -

I am trying to make Diamond ANY WAY I CAN, either nights or stays, whichever comes first. :}

Your post got me to thinking (yes I know that's unusual) so I went onto Homewood's site and found that they had "some" availability during my four nights. So - called my travel agency and booked the final two nights at the Homewood. The Suites are much more expensive compared to the Dulles Hilton. At the Hilton I get a rate of $175/night and Homewood is charging me $229/night. Oh well, such is life.

Now I will get four nights in total, and get TWO stays.

Lets see - January plans out at 13 nights on 6 stays and 1 night on Feb-1 as part of that 6th. stay. As of tonight have 7 nights done in 4 stays. Dulles/Herndon this coming week and week after next in San Mateo for 3 nights. Don't have any idea which will come first, stays or nights. But do expect to make Diamond in May-01.

Thanks for getting me to think about the Homewood Suites again. Wish my agency would check more thoroughly!

dAAvid -

Bigtex1

Scion -

Thanks for the "clue" on the parking garage. In fact a BIG THANKS since it might be snow/sleet there Sunday night! Even though I am from Texas I can handle the snow, but an ice covered car from sleet is something else for me. I hate "chipping" that ice off and it takes forever to melt if all you have is the defroster.

Again, Thanks -

dAAvid -

DOC 2 BE

Big Tex --

How was your stay? Wife will be there for one night and wanted the latest scoop.

Anyone else with comments?

Thanx

TrojanHorse

Same question as doc, how was the stay, I'm heading out there the 21st Feb and since it is a one nighter and I could use the stay, I thought I would check out the homewood? any pointers

Bigtex1

DOC 2 BE & TrojanHorse -

How was the hotel? Not too bad and not too good. Property obviously shows its age. Must have been built in the late 60s or early 70s. It does NOT - repeat - NOT have a jack on the room telephone to allow you to "dial-out" with a laptop computer! But other than that room was OK. Thanks to Scion, I did find the underground garage entrance (to the left of the circular drive in front of the front doors). Free parking is nice! I was given a room on the Honors floor and access to the Honors 'club" for bkfst. Don't know what they offer in the club in the evening as I worked until 11P-Midnight on each of the nights I was there. But, the sign said it was open until 9:PM weeknights. I paid $179/night with the free parking. Of course, as far as I could tell all of the hotels out there have free surface parking - but this was in a garage, which is a nice touch.

Changed my plans after I got there, as I was working in Herndon on the Mon/Tues/Wed and then was in Fairfax on Thursday daytime, then back home on AA. Mon-AM the traffic on Rt-28 North and the Dulles Toll Road-East was atrocious! So, I booked the third night into the Homewood Suites-Herndon at $229/night. I felt this was a rip off, but it was the "last" room they had so I took it to vastly shorten the drive to where I was working on Worldgate Drive. The Herndon HS is very nice, surface parking only (as was expected). They had a nice bkfst layout in the morning. Easy to get to from Worldgate and also from Centerville.

My last night I booked down at the HS-Falls Church. The property is just as nice as Herndon, but the neighborhood is VERY ROUGH. Paid something like $189/night there. HS-Falls Church did NOT - repeat - did NOT honor the fact that I was an HHonors GOLD traveller. I got NO amenities such as the box of chocolates or the robe!

Would I stay again? Herndon-HS is an unqualified YES, even though I feel I was ripped on price. Hilton-Dulles, YES if no other Hilton properties were available. There is really nothing wrong except for the telephone jacks. HS-Falls Church, probably
NOT if other Hilton properties were available. I just didn't like their treatment of me! Only objection I have to the two Homewood Suites that I stayed at was a lack of high-speed Internet access. They only have a DSL line and you must connect through your own ISP.

Remember - the traffic around the Dulles Hilton is really BAD. You have to know/learn the backroads away from this Hilton to make any time in a car! Eastbound Dulles Toll Road in the AM is just the worst I have seen in a long time. Good Luck on your trips and remember - YMMV!

dAAvid -

DOC 2 BE

Thanx so much DAAvid BigTex!!


Wife just needs a place to crash the night before she is to take flight out of IAD. IT seems perfectly fine for that. I tried to get her into either the Homewood or the E/S which yo guys had not mentioned, perhaps that might be the best chioce there?

Anyway, those were booked solid and I got her 1 of the last rooms at the Hilton. 2 of the 3 Hamptons were available but she did not want to do so. It does not matter, as the company is paying the tab.

Thanx for the info and your prompt response!.

D2B

Bigtex1

DOC 2 BE -

Hilton-Dulles run their own shuttle bus to/from the airport. I do not have any idea of the schedule or info on the "first/last" run of the day, but they do have their own.
If your wife wants to catch the hotel bus she will have to stand outside and it can be VERY COLD waiting out there. Need a "Yankee" coat for sure.

If the company will pay for it, I would recommend a cab from the airport for sure. NO waiting outside in the cold! From the hotel back in the AM, I have no idea since I rented a car while I was in the DC area.

Good Luck on the trip.

dAAvid -

DOC 2 BE

Thanx!!

She's a METS fan BTW!